Anyone with experience on these UNI-T UT511/12/13

[4cx10000]

Hi! 

I'm about to buy an UNI-T UT511, 512 or 513, but haven't seen, or read, any review from technicians that have used them in daily work. By any chance, are there anyone out there that could tell me if it is just crap or an good insulator tester?

[rsjsouza]

I have a UT513 and highly recommend it if you cannot find the UT513A for a reasonable price (more on this below).

Its construction feels moderately solid (may not survive a 3m drop, though), the cable shrouds are pretty deep, the length is pretty convenient and the wires have a good quality feel to them. The display shows the relevant information in a very clear way, as well as the lighted buttons in the main panel.

In my projects I usually exercise it at moderate ranges (1~5G) and could evaluate its accuracy up to 200M - it is spot on. Its output voltage is also pretty close to its ratings and it is one of the cheapest units to go up to 5kV/1T.

The only significant drawback of the UT513 is that it will lock/reboot itself if there is a voltage breakdown on the DUT - the UT513A is improved.

To recover is pretty easy: there is a "unlock" button that acts more like a "reboot". According to the manual, this button is designed for scenarios where the unit locks up but still leaves its output engaged. I like this especially because this unit does not have any "clunking/mechanical" switches that disengage the supply - all buttons are "soft buttons".

The power supply feels something to be desired but I like the fact it is a real transformer and not a switching converter (better insulation in case anything goes wrong). One thing I dislike a bit is the use of C-batteries.

IMHO you can't go wrong with this unit for hobby/lab purposes. If you are looking for robustness, shrouding it in a rubber sleeve may be mandatory.

[4cx10000]

rsjsouza

Thanks so much for taking your time to write and share your experience, indeed that was all I wanted to know. I had a look at the 513A and prices are slightly higher than 511 and 512, but that is not a concern. The most important is that I can rely, which you kindly told me about, on the tester and that it not cracks and goes into 1000 pieces in normal use.  Of course it would be fine if it could stand a 3 meter drop. 

What caught my eyes when I first saw these testers was the display and truly, that gets even better when I read about its accuracy - spot on. I like the size of the instrument, it doesn't necessarily have to be like an normal-DMM-size.

For sure there is times when more than 2,5kV is needed, so therefore I will go for, as you recommended, the 513A. I have a few projects running that might need higher voltages, but first out will be a insulation integrity test in our house.

Thanks again rsjsouza for taking your time to write a detailed feedback including your experience with the UT513